Watch customisation is big business, and there are a slew of jewellery brands and designers becoming interested. Extensive experience with precious metals, plus skills in techniques as diverse from stone setting to goldsmithing and engraving, make jewellers a natural partner for watch brands.
Hatton Labs is one of the newest jewellery brands to become interested in the medium, partnering with watch customisation experts Mad on the Portcullis, a rethought Audemars Piguet Royal Oak.
‘We both share very similar brand values when it comes to design,’ say the Hatton Labs team on why the collaboration felt like a natural one. ‘We didn’t really have to figure out how it would ever work. Hatton Labs specialising in jewellery and Mad watches, provided a good opportunity to extend our usual offerings together.’
The resulting watch, named after a medieval fortified gate, nods to this history with sharp design ticks. Diamonds, cut irregularly and upside down, become spikes on the bracelet. There are a total of 20 pyramid cut white, lab grown diamonds, and 40 white pyramid cut white, lab grown diamonds, framing the polished mirror silver dial.
‘We were largely inspired by different stone setting techniques and using stones in an unconventional way,’ they add. ‘When set differently, something so precious & beautiful as a diamond could suddenly feel so harsh and evoke a very different mood. We liked the idea to change the perspective of what already existed rather than add to it. Regarding the cut, it’s exactly the same precision cut as the natural diamonds - the faceting is hand made, the round stones are machine made. The hard part is the polishing, as the lab stones do not have any growth direction, so it’s more work. And polishing is always hand made for horology standards.’
-
Omaha’s Joslyn Art Museum's newest addition effortlessly complements the institution’s existing complexThe third addition to Joslyn Art Museum is designed by Snøhetta, which opted for voluminous common spaces and illuminating atriums
-
Milan Fashion Week S/S 2025 highlights: Marni to FendiWallpaper* fashion features editor Jack Moss selects the best of Milan Fashion Week S/S 2025, from a pursuit of beauty at Marni to Fendi’s return to the 1920s
-
Fortnum & Mason goes mad for mushrooms with a fun series of autumnal eventsFortnum & Mason kicks off the autumn season with a series of masterclasses, supper clubs, and panel discussions which explores the world of fungi, mushrooms and microorganisms
-
Dark watches show it’s time to embrace an inky paletteDiscover new dark watches from brands including Audemars Piguet, Omega, Chanel and Tudor
-
Our wishlist watches come in a wealth of materialsWatch brands including Omega, Audemars Piguet, Tudor and Bell & Ross are experimenting with different materials this season
-
Browns and Mad Paris rethink Audemars Piguet Royal OakWatch customisation specialist Mad Paris has developed two new versions of the Audemars Piguet Royal Oak for Browns
-
Mechanical watch movements inform new jewellery from Carolina Bucci and Audemars PiguetThe K.I.S.S. jewellery collection is inspired by the intricate coils of an Audemars Piguet watch movement
-
Watchmakers on the concept of timeAs the world continues to pause, watchmakers tell us how the meaning of time has changed for them
-
Royal flush: it’s win-win for Audemars Piguet at SIHH 2018
